Job Discussion Forums

[flow]

Taken off Wikipedia
"Japan [edit]
In Japan, school holidays take place from late March to early April, from the late July until early September, and over the Christmas and New Year period from December 24 to January 7."

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ALTs get 1 week off end March to early April and approximately 5 weeks off late July till early Sept. And about 7 days off at the end of the year. Total: 7 weeks off per year PAID.

Is the info right?

Thanks!

[Ryu Hayabusa]

It will depend on the dispatch agency that you work for. The good ones will pay in full during the school vacation periods. Most will pay partially or not at all.

When I worked as an ALT, I got about 6 weeks off for summer, about 2 weeks off for winter break, and 4 weeks off in March-April. The March-April time off should not have been paid, but the company mistakenly paid for it in full. I didn't bring that error to their attention.

[marley'sghost]

You can't beat the vacation schedule in this biz, but you won't get them paid in full unless you are a JET. My company pays 75% for December and August and April get's "pro-rated". Our "yearly" contracts are a week or so short of a full 365 days, so that time is unpaid. Now, the client school could ask for me to come to school and during break and develop curriculum or something. My company could tell me to come into the office and sort the mail. I'm under contract and "working" those days, but it is really rare for anyone to get called in. I think I had to sit on a panel of judges at a speech contest for one day. 99.9% of the time you are free to flee!

[Ryu Hayabusa]

@marley'sghost

You wrote that a person wouldn't get paid in full unless they are a JET. This is incorrect. I wasn't a JET but I got paid in full during vacations. Less and less dispatch agencies are doing that these days. But a select few still do.

[marley'sghost]

[stumptowny]

most alt dispatch companies pay summer and winter breaks at a lower rate. easy money and if the company is large and employees more nets, the safer you will be.

a shady work-around is the 11month contract so the company doesn't pay you at all for summer.. again, this would be the smaller dispatch/recruiter. only one that I am aware of based in Kyushu (kita-kyushu). forgot the name. they pulled this diddy on me during a phone interview. 11 month contract?? hmm. no thanks. but money gougers aside, alt is great. jet is over rated and the work is the same anyhow.

one important note about alt vacation no one has addressed: march/april break has the potential to also be very long but paid at 100%.

I had all of March off and my next school year started the last week of april. so yes, 7 weeks of spring vacation at 100% pay. depends on your boe but the potential is there. I'd guess at a minimum teachers get at least 4 weeks paid (at 100%) during the spring break transition between school years. often much more.

does jet have this?

summer = 60% pay
winter = 75%
spring = 100%

anything less, dont take it...

[kah5217]

Dispatcher here. I think I'm getting about half for April, and I get 60 August and 75 December. December is BS because I had almost the same amount of days off in May under full pay. I believe they'll take 25% of March too because my contract ends after three weeks.

[flow]

Thanks for the replies, folks. Forgot to ask; work as an ALT is 5 or 6 days a week?

[rtm]

[rtm]

[pnksweater]

Current JET here. We get the same salary every month, but your vacation time depends on your individual contracting organization. Personally, I don't have any classes scheduled, but I have to go to work every workday during vacation. Of course I could use some of my paid leave, and since I'm asked not to use it when school is in session that's what I do. Sadly much of the specifics on JET depend on your CO which you don't find out until very late in the application process. Since the salary has decreased for the programme and the few possible perks are not provided across the board it's not quite as appealing a position as it once was.

[marley'sghost]

And I'll add the work day is 8:30ish to 4:30ish. Leaves evenings and weekends free for side work if you are so inclined.

[rxk22]

[kah5217]

Have to agree with that. The people who say they managed to the first pay only bringing 3000 USD are liars.

[Rooster.]